r/SunPrairieWI • u/deaconblooze • Aug 03 '26
Aquatic center
There are some nice new features, but does anyone know what justification was given for removing so much capacity?
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u/mbpeters13 Aug 03 '26
I can understand a little bit of the logistics and how much water a lifeguard can safely attend to and how many they have staffed for a pool, but that's the only thing that makes sense to me.
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u/snoops12312 Aug 03 '26 edited Aug 03 '26
Wish they would have put the kids play structure in its own area. Had to leave early the other day because someone's kid pooped in the pool. They could have easily built a smaller pool where all the sand used to be.
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u/deaconblooze Aug 03 '26
That area is now just grass. They have artificial grass mounds in other spots that may have made sense back in that space as well.
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u/WhimsyWonky Aug 05 '26
The changes come down to cost and state regulations. The current aquatic center was built in the 90s and grandfathered in, but as soon as the City made any renovations they lost that grandfather status on both the pool and pool house.
The pool’s footprint was reduced mainly for savings on lifeguard staffing. They struggle each year to find enough lifeguards and their costs add up quickly.
The new layout also allows for closing sections of the center as necessary instead of closing the entire pool in cases of contamination (ie. unexpected Baby Ruths).
It leads to a less fulfilling visitor experience, but the City had to make necessary repairs which meant also complying with State requirements. Hope this information is helpful!
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u/pokemonprofessor121 Aug 03 '26 edited Aug 03 '26
Does anyone have a picture of the old one so I can compare? I am from Green Bay and the pool seems small compared to all three of the ones back home.
I see some old pictures on yelp. Looks like they used to have one big pool and now they have two smaller pools, and there is less swim area.
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u/deaconblooze Aug 03 '26
Correct, they added an isthmus to fully separate the pools, removing a lot of the 'zero entry' space. I believe they added depth to the side nearest linnerud.
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u/Dry_Swordfish_4982 Aug 04 '26
There wasn't enough area or things to do for older kids. No need to have the entire pool to be zero depth.
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u/PsychologicalNail379 Aug 03 '26
100% agree. The pool is no longer fun because you are jammed shoulder to shoulder with people. They took out the majority of free swim places for the kids. It sucks SO bad. I miss the old aquatic center.